Rebecca

My Christmas is Booked: Fast & Festive

When Michelle made a comment on my initial post, it got me thinking about novellas and other short, quick reads. As lovely as it is to disappear into a story for several hundred pages, the holiday season is a busy season. Sometimes you don’t have the time, or bandwidth, for a full-length novel, but you still want to read something festive and merry. This is where novellas are the perfect fit.

Full disclosure: While I’ve read a lot of “short” holiday novels {more on those below}, many of the novellas I have not read myself, but have been highly rated by other readers I trust. And/or they are authors whose full-length fiction I have read and enjoyed.

There are also several authors who write “short” novels for their holiday offerings: longer than a novella, but still a fast and easy read. The novels where the audiobook version is 6ish hours {or less}, so whether you read or listen, it won’t take a huge commitment. I actually enjoy these even more than novellas, because the story can be expanded a little bit more. There are also frequently shorter Christmas novels for long-running series, like the Hannah Swenson mysteries by Joanne Fluke or Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series.

It goes without saying that this list is far from complete, but hopefully it can serve as a starting point for your own fast and festive reading journey. Consider this a “tasting menu” of sorts rather than an exhaustive list. Some authors, like Melody Carlson, have extensive novella offerings, and Debbie Macomber writes a Christmas novel every year. Richard Paul Evans is another who has published an impressive number of holiday reads. Many of the novellas mentioned are faith-based, but there’s also an astounding number of steamy ones available as well. Young Adult novels and short story/novella anthologies are also a good place to look for smaller doses of holiday cheer.

Do you prefer “long” or short fiction?
Have you read any of these, or do you have a favorite that isn’t included?

14 comments

  1. Rebecca, these look like so much fun! When it comes to Christmas reading or listening, I prefer the short novels or novellas. As you said, it’s such a busy time of year. Now that you mention it, I think I’d enjoy them throughout the year as well. Not necessarily in place of full-length novels, but in addition to them. I appreciate your recommendations!

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    • I like short story anthologies for that reason too, especially during weird busy parts of the year: I can get a dose of story, but I don’t have to commit to something too long. 🙂

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  3. I’ve read one of these- A Holiday By Gaslight. It was good! I’m all for shorter books this time of year- the month is so busy, I don’t have the time or brainpower to sink into something big. Right now I’m reading Benjamin Stevenson’s Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret- also short (less than 200 pages) and very fun!

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    • I love the full-length fiction I’ve read by Mimi Matthews, so I had a hunch her holiday novella would be great 🙂 The Benjamin Stevenson book is so fun! I love that whole series, and there’s a new one coming in the spring! Woohoo!

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  7. Great idea for a list as youre definitely right, fitting in festive reads can be hard. Things have been hectic for me and I havent managed any yet 🙈 I have five im still hoping to somehow squish in though.

    I actually haven’t heard of most of these although I think I’ve seen the Christmas Tree title around and All’s Fair In Love & Christmas is catching my eye cover wise.

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    • I have so many Christmas books I want to read still, and I’m looking at the calendar like “yeah that’s a nope” 🙃 but I can try! 😂

      I hope you’re able to squeeze in at least 1! 🎄📚

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